Manufacture of glass sheets.



F. L. O. WADSWORTH.

MANUFACTUREOF GLASS SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1909.

3 SHEETS SHEET 1.

F' I E 1 mv TOR.

F- L. O. WADSWORTH.

MANUFACTURE OF GLASS SHEETS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 13. 1909.

Patented Nov. .30, 1915.

mama

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIG 4 fig;

' ing is a specification.

connection with one of the torehearth chamof Letters iatent.

To all whom it army concern:

Be it known that 1, Peanut O. /VAoswoRTH, residing at Sewickle in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States. have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in the itianuiactnre of Glass Sheets, of which improvements the followi'urnace, that the sheetbe drawn with its edge presented to such side wall, so as to avoid irregularities of heating due to the radiation of heat from the wall of the furnace. This drawing chamber may be connected to the tank by a single channel 3 as shown in i, or preferably by two channels 3" snown in Fig. 10. By the use of two channels delivering the glass through opposite side-walls of the drawing receptacle, uniformity in condition of the glass on opposite sides of the chamber is attained; while by means of the ring 1- projecting a suitable distance below the surfaceof the glass-the highly heated glass flowing into the receptacle is separated from that portion at the surface of and immediately beneath the point of drawing, which portion, as is well known, should be somewhat cooler. In either construction the flow of glass to the drawing chamber is regulated. by a gate or valve 4. The end wall 5 of the drawing chamber is made removable as shown in Fig. 4, so as to permit of the draining of the glass when desired from this chamber and the channel connecting it with the tank. In the construction shown this endwall is hinged as at 6 to the bottom of the drawing chamber and is held in closed position by any suitable means as by brace 7. In order to heat the glass flowing to the drawing chamber if necessary, and also to enable the melting out of the glass from the draw chamber and channel 3, suitable burners S are provided as shown. in Fi 4. The drawing chamber is cover d by an arched casting 9 which serves as a support for the drawing shaft 10. into which the glass is The invention described herein relatesdo certain improvements in apparatus for drawing glass sheets and has for its obyect a combination of parts or elements whereby the glass is caused to more continuously from a suitable receptacle.

It is a further object oi the invention to provide for the formation of figures or pat terns on the surfaces or the sheet during its formation.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan. view partly in section, showing a tank furnace provided with a plurality of forehearth chambers or receptacles, from each of which glass may be drawn continuously in sheet form; Fig 2 is a sectional elevation showing drawing and iiatteningapparatus in hers; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on a plane indicated by the line HIIH Fig. '2 Figv s: is an enlarged sectional view on plane indicated by the line iV-JV Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on a plane in dicated by the line -V Figd; 6, T and 8 are sectional detailviews illustrating the construction of the clamps and the man ner of connecting them to the drawing mechanism; Fig. 9 is a detail view illustrating a modification of theheaters carried bv the shields; Fig. 10 is a sectional plan showing a modification in the manner of connecting the drawing chamber to the tank; Fig. 11 is a detail showing a modification in the manner of mounting the rolls; and Fig. 12 is a detail View showing a portion of the sheet reduced in thickness for dividing it into sections.

In the practice of my invention the. tank furnace 1 is provided with a plurality offorchearths in which are formed drawing chambers 2, from which the glass is drawnby the apparatus hereinafter described. The drawing chamber is so located, 6. with its length at right angles to the wall of the ment of the glass at the beginning of the drawing operation is effected by means of a bait 1 which is connected to" a cable 12 wound on a drum 13 driven by suitable means as hereinafter described, whereby the bait may be drawn up after it has been lowered into the glass contained in the ring 1i, to initiate theoperation. After a snliicient length of glass has been pulled up by the bait. clamps are applied thereto, such clamps being of any form or construction, such for example as that shown in Fig. 6, and consisting of two bars 15 passed through slots 16 in the side walls of the shaft and secured firmly against the glass by rings or other suitable holding devices. )ne of these bars is made longer than the other and has its drawn as hereinafter described. The m re applied to the sheet ends mounted in sockets in blocks 17, which have their outer ends grooved to receive the threaded shafts 18. Half nuts l9 are hinged to the blocks so that they can be swun into and. out of engagement with the shafts. These threaded shafts are operated by shaft 20 through bevel gears as shown, the shaft being. driven as. hereinafter described.

In order to provide for continuous drawing of the sheet two clamps as above described are employed, which may be termed for convenience the main clamp and the auxiliary clamp. The auxiliary clamp ,is secured to the sheet of glass which has been drawn up by the bait, at a line somewhat below the desired line of severance. -The portion of the sheet above is then cut off by any suitable-means, as shears or a diamond, and the severed section is also detached from the bait and carried away as hereinafter described, while the bait is then drawn up out ofthe way.' The main clamp is then in process of formation at a line above the auxiliary clamp. The auxiliary clamp is then disconnected from the sheet and from the liftingscrews. lVhen sufficient length has been drawn, the auxiliary clamp is again applied to the sheet below the line of severance and connected to the screws, so that both clamps will thereafter move in unison. Afterthe auxiliary clamp is applied, the sheet is severed and the section removed as hereinafter described, the main or upper clamp being disconnected from the section, and'loweredto be again applied to the sheet being formed. In order to permit the clamps being removed, the sockets in the blocks 17 have their upper walls cut away as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 so that i e clamping bar can be lifted and drawn longitudinally from the drawing sha it.

The glass in the formation of the sheet,

is drawn up between rolls 21, journaled in th nd walls of the casting 9 and geared to ether so as to be driven multaneously. One of these rolls is positively driven by one of the shafts 18 through suitable bevel gearing as shown. These rolls may be made mg medium is introduced through hollow journals and escapes through the opposite hollow journal. In order to prevent injury to the glass from contact with the metal surfaceprovision may be made for introducing fluid between the glass and the surfaces of As shown at the right hand side 1;. 5, this can be done conveniently by niountin the ro l loosely on the hollow ending through the roll and do the latter with wings 2 f sections after being These wings together which willbecome vaporized immediately on contact with the glass,

thus forming a fluid film between the glass and the roll. In

order tb protect the rolls from the heat of.

the glass in the drawing chamber, removable shields 26, preferably formed of cast iron andmade hollow for the circulation of a cooling medium, are supported upon the casting 9, being removable longitudinally as.

also arethe rolls, the end wall 27 of the casting- Q'being made removable as shown in Fig. l1 for the purpose of removing the shields and rolls. In order to protect the glass from the chilling effect of-the shields means are provided for heating the surfaces of the glass as it moves up from.' the bath. In Fig. 5 the shields are provided with gas conducting passages 28 extending along near the inner edges of the shield's, the gas escaping through perforations to direct the flame against the sides of being drawn from the drawing chamber or pot. In lieu of this construction I may employ an electric heater as shown in Fig. 9 consisting of wires 30 embedded in an as.- bestosblock 31 secured the glass as it is 'of the shield 26.

The drum 13 5nd also the shaft 20 are driven by a suitable motor preferably an electric motor 32, worm gearings being employed for transmitting motion from the armature shaft to the drum shaftand the shaft 20. The worm gearing 33 for driving the drum 13 is connected through a clutch mechanism 34 to the motor shaft so that it may be tinuous drawing mechanism has'been into operation as heretofore described; Provision is made for the transfer of the severed to a carrier by can be transferred to This carrier may be a flattening wheel on put which such sections an annealing lear. made in the form of be eliminated in a manner well known in the art. .In order to transferthe sections to the inner edges put outof operation after the conwhich any irregularities-of the sheets can onto this carrier I provide a series of fingers 40 pivotally connected to bars et'lonoanted on rollers 42, which are so arranged that when the fingers are turned up to or approximately to horizontal position any sec- -t1on resting thereon would be slightly above These fingers the surface of the carrier.

nei'mellv Kane; down in the drawing shaft pai'sllel i k? ie peth of movement oi the glas t0 tern them an arm &3 is se shalt 01 these fingers and is p a ci'izmter eighte tc assist .c is the fingers and "lieet in 2101 1201 l position, After a (e ction has been severed clesci'ihed, the

" pu ls en this weighted lever, turn- 1 up ate a horizcntel position,

rs which carry the secaleposit the. section an ice wheri the said parts are i the fingers turned lown to normal p sitioii.

i-as 'hercinbefcre statec @1 chambers he dwwmg ith reference to mi 7 m8 narrowest portion of lee? ca. is edge, is-pi'escnt-ecl to e heat mill; cd from such iurnzuc so that 11g heat will pass along the sides s equally heating them, thus preventing (liSCOYtIGR. The drawing shaft 1? emni ed to grated thesheet during the the point of formation of the sheet; and will cause the air heated by radiation from the glass to flow down in opposition to the d1- rection of movement of the sheet and thus st movement 0t e sheets and 111 such pl'Ofi- 1 lmlty Ui e receptacle that the glass ill 3; plastic when englffigcii by the rolls, and shields zu'itarigeti between the rolls and the glass in the pot and above and out of contact with the glass. I

in en i-ppc'l attis for drawing glass sheets, the cemhinationcf a receptacle for th giass, a shaft c1 chamber: arranged to receive the sheet as formedmeans for drawing the glass from the receptacle into, the chamber and means for causing the heat in said chambe to thaw. iii opposition to the direction v ient of the sheet toward the chit 01 formation of the sheet. i s. testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK L. c. WADSWORTH.

Wit-n esses CHARLES BARE-TECH, FRANCIS 5. Tosmssoisi 

